A lighthearted CNN segment took an unexpected turn Thursday morning when a guest face-planted on live television attempting a backflip — but quickly got up and laughed it off.
During CNN News Central, Savannah Bananas baseball player Robert Anthony Cruz — known to fans as “Coach RAC” — tried to perform a standing backflip in-studio. As the cameras focused on him, co-host Kate Bolduan could be heard nervously muttering, “Oh, Jesus,” before Cruz launched himself into the air, only to land hard on the studio floor with an audible thud.
A moment later, the dazed but smiling Cruz rose to his knees and quipped, “That never happens,” prompting the hosts to exchange shocked glances.
This Savannah Bananas baseball performer face plants a backflip on CNN live. pic.twitter.com/Sw65apsr8x
— Eddie Scarry (@eScarry) July 24, 2025
The cameras cut back to Bolduan, who covered her mouth in disbelief, while co-host John Berman tried to keep things moving. “That — that what you just saw there, is a brand new twist on America’s favorite pastime,” he joked, managing to break the tension as Bolduan stifled a laugh.
Cruz, who appeared to be uninjured, got back on his feet and finished his remarks before the segment shifted to a prerecorded package on the Georgia-based Savannah Bananas — an exhibition baseball team often described as the “Harlem Globetrotters of baseball” for their trick plays and showmanship.
When the program returned from commercial break, Berman reassured viewers that Cruz was fine, adding: “It only adds to the legend of the Savannah Bananas, whom you should absolutely check out at a stadium if you can get a ticket.”
Cruz did not rejoin the live set after the break, but his attempt — and quick recovery — fit perfectly with the Bananas’ anything-goes, entertainment-first style that has made them a sensation across the country.
